Sunny in Seattle!

So I survived Seattle! And it was sunny! I was expecting it to be gray and gloomy and rainy, but luckily for my first trip there ever, it was blue skies. It was a little colder than I would have liked though. But anything below 70 degrees is cold to me now. Not only did I spend time at the competition, but I had some time to discover the city. I found a running path down along the port and bay so I started my mornings with several miles of fresh air. The open market was full of fish, flowers and fruit. It was kinda stinky and I HATE the smell of fish. I got to see them throwing large fish which makes the market famous. I walked to the space needle and rode the elevator to the top for a view of the entire city. And of course I did my fair share of shopping in the city, there was a huge 2-story H&M right across the street from the hotel so I was in trouble! And of course in Seatlle there was literally a Starbucks on every corner so I used my discount card to the max!

Of course I also had fun at the event, hanging out with friends and dancing with certain 'friends'. =-) It was a long ride home across the country, but Suzanne got a little crazy with her camera and documented the day, even down to me eating my salad on the plane. I didn't put ALL the pictures she took on the slideshow, believe me there were quite a few. In fact, we were being so goofy and laughing taking pictures that the flight attendant on one flight asked us if we were going on vacation. So far from it! But at least we were having enough fun that it appeared that way. It has taken me all week to recover from the time change. This week is the family trip to DisneyWorld then I have a week until Arizona then England.

UPDATE, UPDATE!

Here I am again, in the Dallas airport on a layover, & I finally have time to update my blog. I'm headed to Seattle today to a dance competition for work. I have no real 'responsibilities' there other than to be a corporate person there, so that's kinda nice. After the past month, I really need to play it low-key.

Since my last post, I finished the trip in Utah and headed back to the office to prepare for the month ahead. On my way to Las Vegas for our big competition, I stopped in San Antonio so I could celebrate Isabelle's birthday with her. This event always conveniently falls on the weekend of her brithday and I am able to make a long lay-over on the company! We had a great 48 hours, how can you not with a three year old that wants to go to the mall for her party.

The event in Vegas was a success and I had a fun time, which is nice that I can have fun while working. I got to hang with some people that I enjoy and don't get to see that often. Plus it was nice to show off the new 'me' and receive compliments on how I looked. It's been a long time since that was the case. We went to see Bette Midler while there, which I can't say that I'm like a big fan or anything, but the show was fabulous.

Once I got home from Vegas I was in the office EVERY DAY (including weekends) until this past Monday... that's 28 days straight working. That's because our International Franchisee Convention was just last week in Miami Beach and this is a program that falls completely on my boss, thus ME, and has been in the works for two years. I believe in the end it was a great success but it was a lot of work and stress for me. And, being the perfectionist and overly organized person I am, I wasn't about to let anything go half-baked, so I caused myself plenty of extra stress. In fact, my boss fell ill the last night because of exhaustion and I had to finish things up. Good thing I am in good health so I didn't fall myself, because it would have been warrented. We had the very first franchisee as a key note speaker, she opened the first franchised studio in 1938 and she is now 105 years old. And she even danced onto the stage...pretty cool.

After the past few weeks, my boss proclaimed this past Monday "tara holiday" and I had the day off. I had stayed at the beautiful Fontainebleau Resort on Miami Beach for almost a week and didn't get to enjoy it all, too bad I couldn't spend my day off there. But a pedicure, a movie and a trip to the mall made for a pretty good substitute. Now I'm off to Seattle for a few days, I've never been there so hope to get in some sightseeing, although it's raining there today (big surprise) so hopefully I can still get out. I'm gearing up for a very busy June, which heads to a busy July, then August...so these moments in an airport are very cherised!

I AM alive!

Yeah, yeah…I know it has been almost 3 months since I last updated my blog. That’s because I have had some time off! After finishing my marathon travel schedule just prior to Christmas, I have had January & February with little traveling. Thus some “free time” makes me lazy! I definitely get more done when I’m too busy to do anything!

But now I’m off and running again . . . figuratively and literally. Mom came over the first week of February to run in a 5k race on Miami Beach. (See her blog for the details and pictures). It was so fun to have her in Miami for a week, she really acted as my personal assistant during those days and got a lot of little things done around my apartment and she basically did anything I told her to do. Thank goodness she is an obedient mother! It was great fun for me to run with her each morning and then have a short race to top it off. She is my inspiration for running anyway so it was nice to share this with her. That prompted me to try another 5k just this past weekend. I didn’t have my mom to run with this time, and opted for Lance Armstrong instead (on my ipod Nike workout). While Lance did not gossip with me along the way or enjoy the scenery (the ocean and plenty of shirtless model hard bodies, yum!) he did propel me to run a little faster and keep a strong pace through the 3 + miles. I ended up taking 3 minutes off my total time, which I felt was a pretty good feat for such a short distance. I finished 14th out of 89 in my age category and 373rd out of 1200+ in the total race. So I was happy with that. Here are a few pictures of the finish line, the ‘after party’ by the beach, and the beach itself that morning. Nice scenery for a run, huh?

Running with Lance and other Nike workouts have kept me burning the calories. As of this morning’s weigh-in, I’ve officially lost 44.4 pounds since June 4. I have 4.2 pounds left to reach my goal. I so wanted to have it done by the end of March, but it’s going to be tough since I’ve got two trips in that time which will limit my running time. It will be close though! Now when they call me “Sweet Hot Tada Tot” at work, I can really believe it! Here is a picture of my run this morning. With the time change it is still quite dark when I hit the road. This morning I really did have to run early because I had a lot to get done before getting on a plane, and it was Wednesday which is my ‘bridge run’ day. It was quite beautiful as I ran up & over one side of the bridge, I was watching the full moon descend, and when I turned around and ran the other direction up & over, the sun was coming up over the ocean. For all the things I don’t like about Miami, the beautiful scenery really makes me appreciate it. Also the 80 degree temperature this time of year is fabulous!

I did take a few days and go to Arizona for the President’s Day weekend. I enjoyed getting to see my other ‘mother and three sisters’ and have girl time. I do wish that happened more often and can’t wait for the next Bee meeting. Let’s get planning.

I’m currently en-route to Utah for my first working event of the year. It’s always fun to go ‘home’ for a few days, although I really don’t get to see more than the inside of the Marriott Center. But seeing the roots of my dance career means a lot to me. So although I really don’t have time to be away from the office right now, I never pass up an event at BYU. Maybe it’s my longing to be 21 again and have the innocence and naivetivity I did before I got ‘tainted’ by reality. I am sad that Alex won’t be there this year though. It was always fun to spend those days together.

Once I’m back from Utah, it’s a week in the office then off to Las Vegas for the first of four trips there this year. On the way to Vegas I will stop by San Antonio to celebrate Isabelle’s birthday, so I’m looking forward to being Aunt for a day. Then it’s back to our International Franchisee Convention in mid-April, then to Seattle, then to . . . . it’s just getting started again! Does anyone else volunteer to be my personal assistant for a few days?

Cold, Cold, Cold!

After a couple more weeks of traveling, I remember now why I live in Miami and put up with the humid summers. Last weekend I made a quick trip to Utah again. I was in town literally like 48 hours and worked about 40 of them! The event was good, it's always a treat to go back to BYU and be reminded of my 'dance roots'. It's also nice to be somewhere where people are nice, friendly, positive and generally happy. However, I was cold from the moment I stepped outside. Although there was no snow on the ground, it was SO cold. I did run the one morning though in 40 degree temps.

I was home for 48 hours then left again for Columbus, Ohio. And if I thought Utah was cold, I was wrong. It was -4 when we landed on Tuesday night. I don't think I ever warmed up my toes and fingers throughout the week. I ran twice while I was there, and it was in the 20s. I looked like a freak running down the sidewalk wrapped up in coats, scarf, gloves, etc. The event was wonderful as always and the taping of the finals will be aired on PBS on February 25. So tune in and see if you can spot me working away.

The best part of my trip this weekend was getting to see Chris, Colleen and Max. They made the drive up one day and we ventured out for dinner. There was to be the Christmas tree lighting ceremony at the outdoor mall we went to, but we couldn't make it through the parade and such to actually get to the lighting. It was SO bitter cold. Of course, I wasn't properly cold dressed, I don't think I even own a pair of closed-toe shoes anymore. But getting to play with Max for a couples hours warmed my heart!

I'm in the Chicago airport now on my layover back to Miami. I'm home for 48 hours again then off to Houston for Thanksgiving! I need to go home so I can thaw out!

I think I'll go back to San Juan...I know a boat you can get on...

I'm back from Puerto Rico. However, I might as well have been in PoDunk, Kansas because I worked the whole time! From 7:30 am until midnight for three days with no breaks. I actually had about 1 hour on Saturday that I rushed outside to take a look. It's too bad because this hotel has a fabulous pool and beach front. The lobby of this hotel is amazing and is a local hang-out since there are 4 bars and multiple live bands playing. Dancing in the lobby literally goes until the wee-hours of the morning. But alas, I needed my sleep due to the long hours, and since I was trying to recover from a cold I got in New Orleans, thus my dancing on the bar (at the bar) was postponed until next year. (Can you seriously imagine me dancing on the bar?! =-)) I'm home until Thursday then it's off to Utah again for the BYU Championships. I arrive there at midnight then work 2 straight days and fly out Sunday early, so it is another QUICK trip. I'm going from tropical heat to snow! That's my life...